Illusions of Shadows
by KCHawkings
Summary: A young woman, shrouded in shadow, chased by doubt and dreaming of hope. Who could foresee such a tragic end? A shadowkissed Anna story.
1. Chapter 1

My feet pounded heavily against the dirt trail. Dried leaves and twigs crunched underfoot. Air rasped harshly against my throat as I tried to draw yet another desperate breath. My eyes stung as horrified tears attempted to escape.

I couldn't hear them, but they were there.

The feeling of panic grew, a roaring flame of terror consuming me. I twisted my neck painfully in an attempt to catch sight of my pursuers. They were playing with me, I knew it. They could have outrun me by now.

Had they never been taught that it was rude to play with their food?

My sides felt as though they had been ripped apart. There was only a few miles left. I could do it, I had to.

_Oooomph!_

As I turned my head, towards my destination once again, I ran straight into what felt like a tree. I bounced off of the obstacle in my path, landing on my back in the foliage littering the ground. My head slammed into something hard, dazing me. I tried to regain my feet but the world spun before I could reach a seated position.

Looking up, through the haze, it was easy to identify the creature standing over me. Red rimmed eyes gazed at me, hunger evident.

They were faster than I had ever imagined, I hadn't even seen it. It had seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Get away. Get away!" I warned, waving the silver stake which was grasped in my hand, in front of me.

The nightmarish thing gripped my arm and dragged me to my feet. His hold on my wrist was so strong that a cry of pain tore from my throat. He squeezed harder, forcing my hand to open. The stake dropped to the ground, useless, my eyes followed it as he kicked it carelessly into the scrubbery.

"You fool yourself." The creature growled, taking hold of my hair he yanked sharply upwards. Peering at my neck a snare crept across his face "You aren't even marked. You think that pathetic little stick could hurt us? We were here before your grandfather walked this earth." He held me upright by my hair, my legs no longer supporting me, I simply hung there.

"She is young, is she not?" An observer questioned. "And pretty. What say we wake her? What a waste it would be to send her to her eternal sleep?"

"I'm starving." The first snarled. "It has been almost a week since we last fed and you want to make her one of us? Another mouth to feed?" Discarding me to the forest floor, the creature made his way towards the previous speaker, the one who thought I was too good to just eat. I scrambled across the ground, trying to reach the stake, my limbs weak, struggling desperately to gain purchase on the gritty forest floor. I slowly managed to drag myself a little closer to the only weapon available.

"Well, if one more awakened, creates one more mouth to feed, surely one less makes things easier for me." Looking back over my shoulder I stopped in horror. From where I lay I had a uninterrupted view of the creature taking hold of the Strigoi's head in one hand and shoulder in the other before he twisted his wrist deftly, pulling the head clear of the body. The other strigoi fell limp to the ground..

He showed no emotion at all as he tossed the head carelessly away.

"The sun will soon rise, so unless you have any objections I'm going to begin," he stated authoritatively, addressing the two others gathered next to the body of what had moments before been a living monster..

Pulling me into his arms he pushed the hair free of my neck. Bunching it into his fist he pulled my head to the side, exposing my vein.

I struggled, trying to throw my head from side to side, kicking out, thrashing my arms. I couldn't do anything to stop him. The more I struggled the tighter his grip became.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. It's up to you, half-breed."

The venom strigoi possessed could cause the most incredible sensations, an intense pleasure nothing else could compete with, but I had no wish to trade my life for these imagined feelings. I fought even harder, kicking out at him as hard as my weak limbs could manage.

He said nothing before grasping my head between his hands an lowering his exposed fangs. As they slid into my skin I felt the most excruciating pain imaginable. Nothing I had previously experienced could compare to this. I had not imagined something could hurt as much as it did in that moment.

Slowly the pain lessened, the whole world began to dissolve in front of my eyes. I vaguely noticed two additional sets of fangs entering my skin at the crease of each elbow.

I fought onwards, although I knew in such a state my protestations were useless.

The darkness encroached on my vision further. My sight narrowing.

Eventually, no matter how hard I tried, my limbs would not thrash as my mind instructed them.

Then I heard it, a distant pounding. The sound of horse hooves slamming against the dry mud. A small flicker of hope ignited within my chest, but it was quickly smothered.

My eyes completely clouded over and I fell into a pool of shadows, unaware of anything but some sort of floating sensation.

They were too late. Darkness claimed me.


	2. Chapter 2

I felt as though I was floating, my limbs weightless. Drifting slowly in a gentle, unseen current which flowed around me, cradling me, rocking as a mother would their a newborn babe.

My body was suffused with warmth. It reminded me of the countless occasions I had escaped on my own, to lie in the meadow; surrounded by the daisies, dandelions, foxglove and violets. I was safe, confident in the sun's ability to protect me from the evils lurking in the dark.

I was surrounded by gentle light. Somehow this knowledge came to me, despite my closed eyes cutting me off from the world. I was so incredibly relaxed.

Slowly I became aware of noise. Interrupting my serenity. It began as some sort of muted humming, a consistent drone. Slowly it mutated, first breaking up, becoming an series of rustling noises, eventually evolving into a noise resembling distorted speech. I could almost decipher the words. Small fragments of speech managed to slip through the fog surrounding me and dance around my mind.

"... Strigoi... The Lost... "

"This.. Her home..."

"... Not my daughter, not any more."

The last comment ruptured the serenity that surrounded me, bringing me back to the real world, closer to the speakers.

"I'll not have anything to do with any blasted strigoi feeders." My fathers voice growled.

"Yes, because she chose to let them drain her blood, for God's sake, man. She's only fourteen!" Another, unknown, voice responded.

I lay completely still, attempting to control my breathing.

"They shouldn't have had the chance," my father snarled. "She was weak and they bested her. No daughter of mine is weak. I did my duty, I sired her, I raised her. If her mothers weakness has infected her so deeply that she can't compete with the lost then this is no place for her!" The anger was blatantly evident in his voice, I had failed him.

I began to tremble, as though from cold, but that could not be the case; whilst before I had been warm, I was now uncomfortably hot, covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

"So what am I supposed to do with her?" The other voice replied, warily.

"Ask the good lord what he sees to be her path, because on his name; she's not stepping foot in my home ever again." He declared fiercely.

Pain shot through my heart, it was almost as though I could feel it actually breaking. Needles of tears pricked behind my eyes, causing my closed lids to flutter slightly as I tried to suppress them.

"Look here, Fyodor. You're being unreasonable!" The stranger tried to reason.

"No, you look here. You and your kind have changed. Since that god-damned Zeklos bastard has sat on the throne you have become weak. Not even ten years ago you would have been here, helping us raise our children, standing beside us whilst battling the lost. Now you cower behind us, even though your gifts are more powerful than anything within our arsenal. How many dhampir lives could be saved, if not for moroi fear? You have all become tainted, and now you expect me to waste my time training a hopeless cause? I have three other children to train, young men, all excellent fighters. They are the ones that will be saving your neck in coming years, I need to devote my time to those who will use it best."

With that stomping footsteps echoed around me. A door slammed, rattling the eves.

"Follow him, collect her belongings," the stranger's voice instructed. "What in the world am I supposed to do with a fourteen year old girl?" He questioned bitterly.

"Yes, lord." Another voice answered, before light footsteps followed those my father had taken, just moments before.

I couldn't stop the tears as they slowly ran over, slowly coursing down the side of my face in miniature streams, dripping and pooling in my ears before overflowing down the back of my neck and into my hair.

Sadness completely overwhelmed me and the trembling grew stronger. I slowly became aware of another emotion gnawing at the back of my mind, an angry frustration, as though I had been trying to talk sense into one of my brothers but they were going ahead with some harebrained scheme anyway.

"You can open your eyes," the stranger murmured. "He's gone."

I slowly pried my heavy eyelids apart, wincing as the sharp sun of dawn hit my eyes, as it came slanting across the room from the window high on the opposite wall.

Having managed to open them fully I dragged myself into sitting position, groaning as my muscles protested painfully.

He just stood there, watching me through amber eyes, before turning to pour something from a decanter.

"Drink this," he instructed, pushing a cup of brownish-yellow liquid into my hands. It swirled within the ceramic container with the same colours as his eyes.

With trembling hands I raised the glass to my lips, slopping some of the fluid over the sides in my haste. Quickly I gulped down half of the contents, before my mouth could take note of the flavour. As the burning sensation stung the back of my throat I gagged, spitting the drink back into the cup as violent shivers racked my body.

A cough forced it's way from my lungs, throwing me forward. A second followed directly after and before I knew it I was in the middle of a full-fledged coughing fit.

"For God's sake," the man muttered, striding to my bedside he pulled the drink from my hands and thumped me soundly on the back.

As the coughing subsided I fell forward, burying my face in my arms, propped on my crossed knees. Hot tears coursed from my stinging eyes, furious sobs convulsed my body.

Stalking arrogantly from my side he grasped the decanter, drinking straight from it as he exited the room, leaving the door to slam behind him.

Soon the sobbing slowly halted and my tears dried. I laid down again, curling up on my side. Facing the wall I dragged the blanket back over me, attempting to warm myself from the chills now invading my body.

I eventually fell into a fitful sleep, haunted by demons with piercing red eyes.

At some point in my slumber, a friendly looking face appeared to tuck me in. She departed after leaving a bowl of water along with bread, cheese and an apple beside me on he floor.

From that moment I slept more soundly, barely stirring.


	3. Chapter 3

As my eyelids fluttered open and I found myself gazing at the wooden ceiling. Tilting my head slightly I could see that the world outside the empty window had been draped in a rose coloured veil as I had slumbered. I felt somewhat content. Not in a good way, really. Simply because my body and mind were too exhausted to properly comprehend the traumatising events of the previous day.

Admittedly, sleep had helped, but I still felt lethargic. As thoughts of my father slunk unbidden into my mind I forced them out, to some space hidden away to the side and closed the door on them. For now it was time to forget about my troubles and figure out what was going on.

Fyodor would be proud that I was moving on with my responsibilities. No, I though, that was not the truth. He would hold no pride, for progress was only to be expected. Pride was to be reserved for greater feats of courage than a common person could attempt to display. He would simply nod, before turning back to sharpening his blade... Or perhaps instructing one of my brothers in the way of some weapon. In this case he wouldn't nod, wouldn't show any acknowledgement. He never wanted to lay eyes on me again. My own father...

I forced myself upwards, swallowing the tears struggling to free themselves from my eyes, allowing the simple bed coverings to fall, landing in coarse browns waves around my waist. I hadn't noticed earlier but I was now shrouded in a thick masculine shirt. Were I to stand I should quite have expected it to fall to at least my knees.

Turning I found that my dreams had not been completely imagined, indeed, a wooden tray sat beside my resting place, bearing the food I had believed myself to have imagined; cheese, bread and a glorious red apple.

Who had gone to the trouble of outfitting me something in which I could sleep, and also providing me sustenance upon my waking? The answer came immediately to mind, a friendly face swimming into my mind's eye, as I remembered the feeling of security she had instilled as she had tucked me more snugly into the rough woollen blanket.

Carefully selecting the bright piece of fruit from the selection beside me, I held it cradled between both hands. I leaned forward to sink my teeth into the sweet flesh, thinking more about this strange woman with hair as white as the first snow of winter, blue eyes pale as ice.

By some strange force of nature I felt a pulling on my mind, as though I were being tugged from my own body. The image of the woman I had been thinking of began to solidify, slowly the woman's form became more real, as though she was standing right in front of me. She was talking to me, but I could hear no words.

Within moments my previously clear vision turned slightly murky, a pain pounded behind my eyes and my mouth tasted foul, reminding me slightly of the spirit which I had partaken last night, only to return it hastily to it's cup.

Suddenly her moving lips produced sound.

"You can't just leave the girl here, Vladimir. What of her education?" The imagined version of the woman challenged me. But why had she called me by a man's name? "She ought to be taught in matters fit for her station. We have few enough dhampirs as it is, especially those of the ladylike variety. Is it for the best to lose one of such a small number?"

The woman's voice cut harshly through my foggy mind, causing my eyes to flinch.

"Well what am I supposed to do, mother?" I challenged her, in a voice far removed from my own. "Take her with me to court? Yes, I can really see that going well." Mother? Who was this women to whom I was referring?

"Why not?" She answered reasonably. "The court grounds contain the largest contingent of female promised ones in the land. The women who attain the marks of honour are quickly claimed by the ladies of the most elite royal circles, those who live within the court wards. Alexandra alone has three females in her circle."

"So you take her to court," I scorned, once again in a tone not resembling mine in the slightest. "Why does it need be me?"

"You know well that's not an option. The Dormition of the Theotokos approaches, there is much to be done." She reprimanded.

"You and that damned god of yours," I started, surprising myself. Why would I speak such blasphemy?

A ringing slap landed upon my cheek, cutting my line of thought immediately. I flinched back, and although I didn't actually feel the pain it kind of resounded around my brain. The woman towered over me, and although I could see she wasn't as tall as she appeared, she was still frightening. No woman had ever slapped me before. Was I dreaming still?

"Don't you dare to speak to me in such a manor about our lord and saviour!" Her skin grew dark with blood, her eyes wide. Her blatant fury caused her to lower her guard, to forget her previous practice of barely opening her lips as she spoke, the way most moroi deigned to communicate. I could see her fangs. "I know of your beliefs on the matter, why my lord cursed me with a non-believer for a son I shall never know, but I shall not have you expressing such opinions to me, especially in such an offensive and insolent manor."

She paused momentarily to collect herself, before continuing, fangs hidden although an icy chill froze her words. "You will take her to court, on your next trip. I know you are planning another abominably sinful expedition, in order to take care of your lust for games, women and spirit. You take her with you, and you leave her in the care of someone adequately prepared to train a young woman who has been through such horror." Her cold order stated, she looked me over with a steady eye. "Go wash and change your shirt."

She spun on her heel and stalked through the open door of the room.

As soon as she was gone, and unable to observe, I raised a single hand to rub at the area stinging upon my cheek. I started with shock as I encountered a hair roughened cheek, where I would usually find nought but smooth skin and a tiny scar just before my ear.

My mind spun, before I slammed back into my own head, jolting me back to reality. I had often fallen into places of my own creation, imagining scenarios of a beautiful suitor or a glorious banquet, sometimes even the feel of the wind swooping beneath my wings as I soared amongst the clouds as an owl, but I had never placed myself into the consciousness of another person.

I set the apple aside, unable to consider consuming it as panic flooded me, causing my heart to accelerate.

What was going on?


End file.
